many ladies pray everyday to have twin or triplet babies...Primary Reason? it saves us the stress of having to get pregnant many times. But whenever we see these adorable tots especially the identical ones in most times matching outfits, and we go all coo coo, ahh ahh, i wannnt one!!, we fail to see the the stress and hard work it takes to raise these babies. The thing is, these parents adore their twin babies and would go through the stress a million times again, but the fact remains that raising them was tough,

Now, I am one of the "I adore and want twins" women, so i did some research, and asked some experienced parents of twins, for pointers on how to ease up on the stress that comes with raising twins, so here goes the top pointers!. Hope it helps you all, and please leave comments on your child birth and raising experiences, because we all could sure use some help!lol

START RECRUITING HELP EARLY .......During your pregnancy
Start recruiting help now, whether you'll be going back to work or staying home. "Planning for extra help is one of the greatest gifts you can provide for your babies, your other children, your husband..
Many moms-to-be get overwhelmed thinking about the many things that are out of their control, like,"Would the babies be okay? Would I deliver early?" But don't worry about what you can't control. Instead, focus on what you can, like your diet. Women of normal prepregnancy weight need about 2,700 calories each day. "They should gain 24 pounds by 24 weeks of pregnancy, then about 1 1/2 pounds each week." Underweight women should aim to gain 45 pounds, and overweight women will want to gain between 20 and 25 pounds. Expecting triplets or more? You'll need to add 5 to 10 pounds extra per additional fetus, depending on your starting weight.

NO SCHEDULE MEANS NO LIFE FOR YOU

It is hard enough raising a single baby, but when you have newborn twins, you definitely NEED to have everything on a schedule. Get the babies on the same feeding and diaper schedule. they will eventually learn to adapt.

YOU CAN BREASTFEED BOTH BABIES AT THE SAME TIME

If you breastfeed, you can feed both babies at the same time with one twin at each breast, mother of twins, Walker says. She did'nt like how it felt though. So her solution?: She breastfed one, and bottlefed the other at the same time. She would sit on the floor, breastfeeding one baby while the other lay on a pillow in front of her or on her side with the bottle. This usually took her 45 minutes... whew!!. here's to super mummy!!!!.

ONE CRIB IS FINE IN THE BEGINNING
Newborn twins can certainly remain in the same crib initially. If they sleep better knowing the other is close by, then they could share a crib till they can move into their childhood beds. You may have to switch to two cribs though if and when the twins begin to roll, bump into one another and wake each other up.
while using one crib is okay, two carseats and a double stroller are absolute musts for twins.




NEWBORN TWINS SHARE EVERYTHING -- Including Germs.
Twins are like all siblings in that they certainly get each other's illnesses. If one twin has a contagious infection, the sibling has the same risk of getting it as he or she would if someone else in the house had that infection. Parents of newborn twins may consider separating the two if one comes down with a contagious illness right after birth. This means if one twin has chickenpox, you can separate them and let the healthy twin stay somewhere else to minimize the risk. You can’t reduce the risk to zero, but you can control it better.

GOOD, BAD OR IN BETWEEN, YOUR TWINS' RELATIONSHIP WILL BE FASCINATING.

Identical twins tend to get along better and have stronger bonds than fraternal ones, but it’s impossible to characterize the connection between twins in any one way. You may have one twin who’s more outgoing and speaks for both of them. You may have twins who take turns being the “outgoing” one and the “shy” one. Your twins may be inseparable and have their own language (called idioglossia, when twins mimic each other’s babbles instead of their parents’ speech). Or, your twins may fight like cats and dogs when they’re together but hate to be separated. Throughout their youth and young adulthood, your twins’ primary relationship will be the one they have with each other. The ways in which they adapt to and for each other will be beautiful — and sometimes painful — to watch, as they figure out themselves in relation to each other.

TWINS MAY BE SIMILAR, BUT THEY ARE ALSO DIFFERENT.
When you have two kids the exact same age in one family, competition is inevitable. Sometimes, that’s a good thing. One twin might be more motivated to give walking a try when he sees his brother cruising around. And when you’re toilet training, a race to pee in the potty can make the process shorter for twins. But too much competition isn’t healthy: Try to avoid comparing your kids and emphasize each twin’s individual strengths. And spend one-on-one time with each twin as often as you can to nurture their individuality and independence from each other.
Encourage the differences between your twins. Most children do have their own strengths and weaknesses, and twins are no exception.

PARENTING TWINS GETS EASIER AND EASIER......Amen To That!!!!.

Now, the good news: Raising twins will not be this difficult forever. With twins, the hard work is front-loaded in the first three years or so. Later on, your same-age siblings will be able to entertain each other. Plus, you can put them in the same schools,and extracurricular activities without having to shuttle between programs suited for different ages. Also, they’ll likely be interested in the same shows and movies, eliminating fights over the remote, and you’ll have one bedtime instead of two.Get through the challenges of infancy and toddlerhood (and you will) and your twins will reward you handsomely.

Hope this post has been helpful. Please do share your views and general tips to raising babies... xoxo, Jay

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Frist to comment

Oh my! I love twins alot. wouldnt mind a set; a bouncing baby boy and girl! Thanks for the gift God

I want an identical twins all girls insha allah

This post is so on point. Trying to cope with my 5 month old twins. Aint easy at this stage though we ve got plenty of help.
Can't wait for them to start crawling all over the place and scattering things

Connoisseur: This post is so on point. Trying to cope with my 5 month old twins. Aint easy at this stage though we ve got plenty of help.
Can't wait for them to start crawling all over the place and scattering things

Awww that's so sweet. I envisage having them so I had to find out what I should look forward to. Share your experience?

My sister its not as easy as people think it is oo..imagine am still up by this time of the day dancing azonto for my babies..they are seven weeks old,identical boys..its not easy at all especially if they are your first issues and you don't really get help..from bathing for 2 babies in morning(heaven helps you if you have a 7am appointment)..like if I nid to get to the clinic,after I park,I wil have to back one,carry one wit the bag whch contains diapers,formulas and feeding bottles)..they don't really disturb me during the day,but at night(OMG) you need to see them,sometimes when they start crying ,hubby will jst tell me 'go inside,you need rest' but as a mother,the shrilling cries will never let me rest,so I av to come back and pet,dance,feed...I sleep for like 3hours,by 6am,am up already to prepare breakfast..I will continue to see something to do till night comes calling and I start my night watch again....as per the feeding,I breastfeed n giv dem formulas too(I cnt let dos boys suck me dry)...plus the cost ooo,always double...as per the pregnancy and labour,its nt easy oo,pushing two babies out within mintues..na God sha but I think one baby @ once is less stressful but twins are wonderful,I get special attention carrying two babies @ once dressed in the same clothings,people calling iya ibeji and eulogising them...its fun and interesting

thats scary. I see pics of these baby carriers that lets you carry both babies. 1 infront and the other behind. That leaves both hands free right?. How do you make out time for yourself? . I can’t shooooooout!!!!!!!!!!

The experience is something fit for a journal
We are still up @ dis tym trying to get the elder to sleep. She s got the flu, she got from her sister. We treated them both as per docrors advice but hers is a lil persistent. Even at that, we still have to keep her from waking her sister cos that's her mission.

PweetyJay: thats scary. I see pics of these baby carriers that lets you carry both babies. 1 infront and the other behind. That leaves both hands free right?. How do you make out time for yourself? . I can’t shooooooout!!!!!!!!!!

in Nigeria,if you use the carrier,you'll see how people wil stare at you so I ddnt even bother buying since am mobile...

PweetyJay: thats scary. I see pics of these baby carriers that lets you carry both babies. 1 infront and the other behind. That leaves both hands free right?. How do you make out time for yourself? . I can’t shooooooout!!!!!!!!!!

in Nigeria,if you use the carrier,you'll see how people wil stare at you so I ddnt even bother buying since am mobile...and carriers dnt rily make ur hands free cos u wil nid to pack a bag of necessities

One of the best double strollers i recommend is the strollers, except you love the strappers which are most times heavy for you. But with the strollers, you can also use them as jogging strollers too.

Love twins but never prayed for twins. My elder sis had twins twice and I know what I as a visitor passed thru, not to talk of my sis, I ll never forget d day she started crying all becos one of them mistakenly poured her soup on d floor, the stress was too much and am yet to catch up on sleep lost even after ten years.

Twins are weird. At one time, I used to be so sacred of them. For me, they seem to share one mind. I'm yet to come across ‘any’ with different taste and mindset. And like serious, they are very mischievous. Now upbringing can be a such a drag.

I love Twins,2 girls or a boy and a girl.I'm not sure its possible to use a single crib for both babies